Downtown Las Vegas Guide

1) Main Street Station "The Jewel of
Downtown" Located at the far
northwest corner of downtown, in the
Main Street Station you can view a
display of fabulous collection of
antiques, that reflect wonderful old
rich looking dark woods which dominate
the Victorian-themed interior. MSS gives
you a chance to see authentic
turn-of-the-century antiques with their
opulence, unique designs and detailed
craftsmanship. Take yourself on a
self-guided tour after picking up a
detailed brochure and map at the front
desk or bell desk.

Things to look for: there's a turn-of the century
apothecary cabinetry in the hotel's registration lobby; check out the
chandelier, which once hung in the Figaro Opera House in Paris; a
wonderful mahogany bar in the brew pub that once graced the Schlitz
family home in Milwaukee; and a neat looking stained-glass window that
was given to the singer/actress Lillian Russell (popular in the 1880's)
by "Diamond Jim" Brady. And the Men can check out a piece of the Berlin
Wall in their restroom that's near the Garden Court Buffet.

Pullman Grille (currently closed) Very nice. I
like taking people here for drinks/dinner, check out the actual railroad
car inside, have drinks in it too! Also the Triple 777 Brewery, great
beer, and lots of food, rack of ribs (best to order 1/2 unless you are
really hungry).

Over by the southeast entrance, an escalator leads up
to a covered pedestrian bridge that crosses over Main Street to the
California Hotel. Boyd Gaming Corp. operates both Main Street Station
and the California Hotel, as well as the Fremont Hotel down the street.

2) California Hotel For luck, drop by the
California Hotel's Buddha. A gift to the Boyd family, the rotund statue
is near the hotel lobby, just past the Pasta Pirate restaurant. The
statue's belly is well-worn, some believers actually leave money, it's
said the Buddha usually gets about $1,000 a year, which is donated to
the United Way in Hawaii. Check out the Redwood Bar and Grill (great
Porterhouse special there!)
Craps: Ever imagine a 3-hour, 6-minute dice hand? It happened at the
Cal. Check out the Golden Arm plaque on the wall there, for craps rolls
over an hour.

3) Las Vegas Club If you're in to sports, then
check out The Las Vegas Club, across Ogden Avenue from the California
Hotel. There's a large collection of sports memorabilia. The walls are
covered with photographs, posters, jerseys and an autographed baseball
bat exhibit. There's bleacher seating in the Sport's book, plus the
waitresses wear cheerleader outfits. Interesting Blackjack table rules
here.

4) Fremont Street Experience To me Fremont
Street was the "old glitter gulch" street, it was so lit up you couldn't
tell if it was daytime or night-time. Oh well, today, it's the "Fremont
Street Experience". In 1995, Fremont Street was closed to traffic, a
huge canopy was constructed over a four-block section as part of a city
redevelopment project called the Fremont Street Experience. The canopy
towers 90 feet above the street and houses more than 2 million lights.

Starting at sundown, a free, computer-generated light
and sound show is presented hourly. There are several themed shows. For
a schedule of shows and times, check the Web site
www.vegasexperience.com.

5) Binion's Oneof my webmaster's favorite
spots to gamble at, Binion's, nothing fancy, just old time gambling
atmosphere for the serious gambler. Where the famous "World Series of
Poker" is held every year (now only the FINAL table). These things used
to be on display; but not since Harrah's bought it out: An exhibit near
the front entrance of the casino features a collection of guns: a Smith
& Wesson .32 owned by matriarch Teddy Jane Binion, a .357 Magnum that
belonged to former Desert Inn owner Moe Dalitz and a Benny Binion
commemorative Winchester with a gaming chip embedded in the handle. Not
much to see in the horseshoe anymore. Still good food in the Coffee
Shop, and up on top at the Binion's Ranch Steakhouse "Cowboy" cuts of
beef!!
Along the east wall of the casino is the Poker Hall of Fame photo
gallery, where you can view winners of the Horseshoe's World Series of
Poker.

6) Fremont The Fremont is home to a favorite
downtown restaurant, Second Street Grill. The grill features a fusion of
American and Pacific Rim cuisine. Look for more info in our
restaurants section of our website.

7) Fourth Street Past the Fremont are a number
of shops and fast-food restaurants. You'll be coming up to the
intersection of Fourth Street. Although the Fremont Street Experience
canopy extends another block to Las Vegas Boulevard, Fourth Street is a
throughway, so keep an eye on the traffic light.

8) Neonopolis On the northeast corner of
Fremont Street and Las Vegas Boulevard there is Neonopolis, a $100
million retail, food and entertainment complex place is touch and go
business there one day, not the next, their future up in the air!!

9) Neon Museum The "Neon Museum" is located at
the intersection of Fremont Street and Las Vegas Boulevard. You can find
the old Las Vegas signs here, which have been refurbished. Look for: the
old Hacienda Horse and Rider, which was found in the center of Las Vegas
Boulevard; others include Aladdin's Lamp and Andy Anderson, Anderson
Dairy mascot from the 1950s.

10) Race Rock CLOSED...

11) Fitzgeralds One of the best places to
catch a Fremont Street Experience light show is from the second-floor
balcony of Fitzgerald's. Just take the escalator up to the second level.
The small balcony can get crowded during the shows, so get there about
15 minutes early. Small Cigar lounge.

12) Golden Nugget The Golden Nugget is the most
upscale hotel/casino in the downtown area. Head back toward the shops
and you will find the world's largest gold nugget at 61 pounds 11 ounces
on public display.
Located by the VIP services desk in the lobby is a painting by LeRoy
Neiman, it was commissioned by former Golden Nugget-owner Steve Wynn in
1988, the painting shows a number of high-stakes table games. Take a
close look, you'll find entertainers Kenny Rogers and Paul Anka talking
to a seated Wynn in the lower left corner of the painting. Also Neiman
himself is shown seated at the baccarat table.

13) Vegas Vic Las Vegas' most famous neon icon
is near the west end of Fremont Street underneath the canopy. Vegas Vic,
a 40-foot-high neon cowboy, has presided over downtown for 50 years.
From atop the now-defunct Pioneer Club, he greeted visitors with a
booming "Howdy Partner." Then in 1966, actor Lee Marvin - in town
filming a movie - complained of the noise, and the imposing cowboy was
silenced for more than 20 years.

14) Golden Gate At the southwest corner of
Fremont Street, you can find the Golden Gate which originally opened as
the Hotel Nevada in 1906. The history of those early days as well as
that of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco are commemorated in
photos on walls throughout the small casino.
The Golden Gate is most famous for its shrimp cocktail priced at 99
cents, available in the back delicatessen; a lemon wedge is an
additional 5 cents. A pianist entertains nightly.

15) Blackhawk Rail Car The Blackhawk antique
rail car sits on the west side of Main Street between the Plaza and Main
Street Station. Built in 1903, it served as a personal car for Buffalo
Bill Cody and Annie Oakley, and is now part of the rail car collection
featured at Main Street Station.

16) Four Queens Great food in Hugo's Cellar!!

17) Lady Luck - closed!!

18) Gold Spike another old one, been remodelled
and worth checking out.

19) El Cortez old one - part of Las Vegas
history! Great food in Roberta's. Las Vegas History - a bit of the charm
of "old Las Vegas" - El Cortez Hotel & Casino - Constructed in 1941, El
Cortez Hotel & Casino, an anchor property in the Fremont East
Entertainment District, is located in historic downtown at 600 East
Fremont Street. With 300 newly remodelled hotel rooms, El Cortez
features full-pay 3-2 single deck 21, 10x odds on craps,
state-of-the-art roulette and over 1,000 slot machines. In May 2009, the
property opened its Cabana Suites, a boutique style hotel offering a
1950s Miami feel in the heart of downtown. El Cortez is proudly
affiliated with Michael Gaughan's South Point Sports Book. The Las Vegas
Review-Journal voted El Cortez "Best Downtown Hotel" in 2009, "Best
Blackjack in Las Vegas" in 2007, 2009 and 2010, "Best Video Poker" in
2008 and "Best Keno in Las Vegas" in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Dining options at El Cortez include: Caf Cortez and The Flame
Steakhouse. The property's other amenities include: Subway, Dreyer's Ice
Cream Shop, Seattle's Best Coffee, El Cortez Gift Shop and a
full-service beauty and barber shop. The property is currently
completing more than $25 million in improvements and renovations. For
more information, please call 1-800-634-6703 or 702-385-5200, or visit
www.ecvegas.com.

Las Vegas Downtown Shows

When you think
of Las Vegas Shows you usually think of the Strip, but
Downtown has its share of entertainment as well. Even
better, you can usually save quite a bit of money. Most
weekends host live concerts (often with well-known artists)
Downtown beneath the Viva Vision canopy. Here are some of
the regular shows you
will find within the casinos:

Fitzgerald’s
Casino

Country
Superstars Tribute - Musical impersonations of country
stars.

Marriage Can
Be Murder - A who-done-it interactive murder mystery with
dinner.

Comedy After
Hours Comedy Club

Four Queens

Mike Hammer
Comedy Magic Show

Mark Maverick's Hypnotica -
Hypnotism and comedy.

Four Queens' L.A. Comedy Club

Gold Nugget

Gordie Brown - Impersonator, singer,
and entertainer.

RUSH Lounge - The Frankie Moreno Band,
rock, punk, and funk.

Las Vegas Rocks Cafe

Superstars of Magic - A magical duo,
Steven and Cassandra Best

Brian Hoffman's Remembering Red A Tribute to
Red Skelton - Brian Hoffman performs jokes by early famous comedians like
Red Skelton and others.

Vegas The Show - Starring Tony Sacca with music
and comedy.

Shania & Rod Country and Rock N Roll Tribute Show
- Not so much rock, but Gina and Martin perform a tribute to Shania Twain and
Rod Stewart.

Tom Stevens - Impersonator and illusionist.

Plaza Hotel

The Rat Pack Is Back - Impersonating the Rat
Pack.

Collin Foster in Quicker Than The Eye - A sleight
of hand artist.

Western Hotel & Casino

Lounge - Live country music with the Bobby
Kingston Band.

And on Fremont Street you can see Viva Vision 7
days a week from 8pm to Midnight. Other free shows on Fremont Street beneath the
canopy include: Man on the Street, Carl Ferris, and Real Action Stunt Performers
along with various others on different nights.

TIP: Oyster.com's coverage of hotels in Downtown Las
Vegas. They send undercover reporters to write in-depth reviews and take
hundreds of photos while staying at the hotels as guests. If you check out their
photos, and reports you won't get surprised when you arrive at the check-in
counter. You can browse their coverage of Downtown hotels here:
http://www.oyster.com/search/?qa=+location:downtown-fremont-street-las-vegas